


Always, Always

by eevoch



Series: What Started As A Game [3]
Category: Chrono Trigger
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Universe, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, Character Death, Confrontations, Domestic Fluff, Emotional Manipulation, Established Relationship, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Manipulation, Minor Character(s), Non-Explicit Sex, Non-Graphic Violence, Reunions, Separations, Team Bonding, Team as Family, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-10
Updated: 2018-08-10
Packaged: 2019-06-25 12:39:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15640938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eevoch/pseuds/eevoch
Summary: After finding himself in his original timeline, Magus continues on his quest to vanquish Lavos, while clinging to the slight hope that everything is alright back in 600 AD.





	Always, Always

**Author's Note:**

> Final part is!!!!!! Here!!!!!!!! Tbh im quaking with how long this is, this is like the longest thing ive ever written, ever, all the tags are there, and everyone whos played CT knows that Crono dies, and i have strayed from canon so these gay fucks can get their happy ending 
> 
> Edit: also i DID use quotes from the actual game, i mostly stuck to canon but i did have a bit of divergence so its a mix of canon and my own brain

Magus knew what the outcome of the attack would be. He had predicted it before they even came. The portal had pulled all four of them into it and took him to a place that felt all too familiar. Where the others had ended up, he had the faintest idea. He knew where he had to go, so it only took him a short while to get there. All he saw where he landed was a snow covered ground. He remembered this place as a child. Those who were disgraced and unable to use magic were not allowed in the kingdom, instead they were bound to the Earth. With a lack of resources and little hope for prospering life.

He pressed a hand over his chest, feeling for his amulet beneath his cape where it wrapped around. He let out a breath of relief once he felt the small lump of it, grateful that it had survived the gate. The amulet was all the more precious to him now, the lock of pink hair wrapped around its chain making him wish he never had to leave. He wondered how the mage was doing, and even felt a bit of guilt for leaving him all alone, even if it wasn't his decision. And while Flea wasn't entirely alone, he knew that the Magician much preferred him over the other generals. It took a while before he could admit to himself that he felt the same.

He missed the mage's company. Even if some of their conversations were one sided, with Flea babbling away and Magus simply listening to him talk about anything. The mage was smart, and could hold an intellectual conversation with Magus when the wizard wished for him to, something he admired. Walking into the skyway, he briefly contemplated how long it would be before he saw Flea again. He knew it would be a while, but he wished he was able to calculate exactly how long.

Magus felt his magic rush through his veins, the cold snow was replaced by warm air with a slight breeze. He would have to take a landbridge back to the earthbound island, then another skyway back to Zeal's main island. He knew this place, this was his home. The grass was a vibrant green, and when Magus took off one of his gloves to feel it, it was soft to the touch. Almost feathery. It suddenly struck him that he couldn't simply waltz into the palace looking like the lost prince that vanished all that time ago with the Gurus. The wizard conjured a long, large cloak that swept the ground added a quite large hat that acted as a detatched hood and covered his head. It was a navy blue with some gold embellishments, and when the cloak was closed up all that could be seen of him was half of his face and his boots.

"If that menace could see me now," he muttered. Flea would probably chastise him for his _terrible_ fashion choices, as he so often did. Even before he had his more female assets, Flea was always such a diva. He knew where exactly he had to go, he needed to assure that he could get close to the queen, his mother. She tried summoning the large parasite, using his sister to try and harness its power. He remembered. He loathed her for it, ever since he was a child, but he needed to get into her inner circle if he was to complete his goal of destroying the beast once and for all. He'd felt slightly guilty keeping his true motives from Flea when he himself tried to summon Lavos, but it had to be done. 

He had the perfect disguise, a prophet, his knowledge of the past would make this an easy route to go. Of course, he couldn't predict any single person's next move. He did know enough about the kingdom's big events that had taken place before it had fallen to ensure his credibility. This should be enough get him in the queen's good graces, and hold him over until she summoned Lavos, then he could kill it himself. He passed through Kajar and Enhasa, and making his way through the caves up to Zeal's main palace. He had to assure there were no threats to his mission, though. An obvious threat, was the three that had been sucked into the portal along with him. Wherever they were, he had to keep them away from the palace. They would ruin everything, just like they had done before.

Taking a deep breath, Magus tentatively stepped into Zeal's palace. The people here were intelligent, sophisticated, but could be very pretentious in nature to those they deemed below them. He had to show that he was more than their equal, prove he was more. The air seemed stale here, like something eerie was awaiting to jump out at any moment. He was shortly stopped by someone, who immediately asked who he was and how he had gotten into the kingdom. 

"I request to meet with the queen. I am a prophet, and I possess great knowledge that will be of use to her." He annouced, his voice stoic and cold. He loathed his mother, hated her, once she became starving for power he no longer claimed her as his mother.

The Zeal civilian looked suspicious, "How do we know you're not a false prophet?" He asked, eyeing up Magus' tall form.

"I do not have time for questions, I demand to speak with the queen." He snapped, lips drawn in a scowl. These people were always irritating. They mocked him as a child for never having any friends outside of his sister and his cat. 

The man was about to speak again when a young lady donning purple robes emerged from one of the doors. Her silvery blue hair was pulled up and she looked as if she was ready to sleep for weeks. "Who is this man you are chastising, hm?" She asked the unnamed civilian.

"Princess Schala! I thought you would be with your mother, this man claims himself to be a prophet, and wishes to speak with her." The man told her, Schala's eyes widened slightly in shock, but there was something else about her expression Magus couldn't quite catch.

He looked at her, now finding himself nervous. This was his sister, this was who he was going to kill Lavos for, so she could never be harmed again. "A prophet, you say?" She inquired, taking a step forward, "Well, we certainly don't get many of those around here, come, prophet, follow me. I'll get you to the queen." She said to him, smiling softly. Magus couldn't find the words to say, he knew she had no intention of going back to queen Zeal's main quarters, where the Mammon Machine stood. She had no desire to get her energy drained again and again, yet she didn't show any of that in front of the Zeal civilian. He figured maybe they didn't know everything that went on in there after all, and she wanted to spare them the ache.

Magus kept his head low, "Thank you, Princess," he murmured, following her to where the queen was with the Mammon Machine.

Schala gave him a soft smile, she was such a gentle being. "It's not a problem, prophet, I hope the queen takes to you warmly," she told him as they passed by two Nu's into the next room. Queen Zeal stood in front of her beloved machine, a grin etched onto her features. Magus hated how much he and Schala resembled her.

Zeal looked at them, eyeing them up with a deep gaze. "Schala, what have you brought me?" She inquired, her voice was deep and commanding, so the question seemed more like a demand. Velvety and smooth, disgusting.

The young woman fidgeted with her purple robes before speaking, possibly trying to ground herself. "A prophet, mother, from an unknown land, he has knowledge that can be of use to you." She said with grace, and Magus admired how calm she stood in front of their tyrant mother. 

Zeal smirked, "A prophet? Very impressive, daughter, can he prove it?" She asked, staring him down with dark eyes. Magus thought they were hideous, just like his own before they changed due to his excessive training with magic.

The wizard forced a smile, "The prophecy has revealed to me that you are trying to summon the mighty beast for its power, for the good of your people, like a benevolent queen should," he lied through his teeth. _'Some benevolent queen. She couldn't care about the good of her people even if she spent a day among them.'_ he thought, trying not to scowl at the fierce looking woman.

Though it must have worked, because Zeal looked impressed. "Not just anyone could know that, I see now," she trailed off, humming. She looked as if she was contemplating something. "Alright, I have no use for either of you at the moment, not even you, Schala, so you are both dismissed." She concluded, waving them both off with her hand.

Schala bowed in respect, and Magus bowed his head. She didn't deserve a full body bow from him, and he followed his sister out of the room. "I have a younger brother, his name is Janus, would you like to meet him?" She offered, and Magus froze. Himself, that was himself, if his memory served him as well as it has this entire time, he was around ten years old here.

"It would be an honor to meet the young prince," he responded, Schala deserved every ounce of respect from him. Unlike their mother. Dreadful woman. The Zeal princess looked delighted at this, and led Magus to where she last saw her little brother. She found him playing with his cat in his bedroom, a scowl on his face, and Magus had to repress a snicker at how that expression really did carry with him to adulthood.

Crouching next to the younger version of himself, Schala tentatively touched his shoulder. "Little brother, why the long face? Did someone say something to you?" She asked him, and young Janus had shook his head with a small huff.

"They're all idiots," he grumbled, stroking Alfador's purple fur. Magus couldn't hide the smirk on his face, nothing had changed, truly. "Who's that?" Young Janus asked, pointing at Magus, his small face twisted in a frown.

Schala chuckled, "This is the prophet, he's here to help mother, and surely he doesn't know his way around the palace so I'm going to help him a bit with the directions." She explained, very kind and gentle, as she always was. But she was wrong, Magus knew this palace like he knew every one of Flea's outfits in his closet. This was his home, and though he didn't regard it pleasantly, it was still his home.

"Why would he want to help her? She's cruel, and she's only going to use him like she does to you," the young child grumbled. Magus wasn't surprised, he's loathed his mother since youth. Schala lookd at him and shook his head, placing a kiss on her young brother's temple.

"Please, do not hate mother, she is simply dreaming of things that we don't understand," she whispered to him, young Janus snuffed and stood up.

"I'm going to take Alfador and we are going to play around the palace, will I see you around there later?" He aksed, his eyes hopeful. An ugly color, a sharp jade green. They looked just like their mother's eyes.

Schala, gentle as always, smiled at the young boy and nodded, "I'm sure I'll see you when I show the prophet around the castle. Hopefully I have some time before mother summons me back, take care, little brother." She whispered to him, combing her thin fingers through his hair as he shuffled out of the room, Alfador trailing behind him loyally. She smiled at Magus when young Janus had finally left the room. "He is such a gem, isn't he? My sweet, little brother, he's always looking out for me," she cooed, eyes glimmering. Magus gave a sad smile in response, it's a shame that she was also cursed with their mother's disgusting eyes. A color like lavander or blue would suit her much better.

He didn't say that aloud though, and went to sit down in the floor when she stopped him, gesturing for him to sit in a chair she pulled up beside the bed. That's right, Magus always hated strangers sitting on his bed, so if someone were to visit him or Schala, she would pull up a separate chair. "Yes," he mumbled, "he's truly full of potential," he praised himself a bit, he honestly thought that he had done quite well for himself while he lived in Zeal. Sure, he didn't have any friends beside his sister and cat, but nobody ever really bothered him.

"So, I know you probably can't tell me where you're from, but is there anything you can tell me about yourself?" Schala asked, her gentle features making Magus want to march right into his mother's quarters and fistfight her for all that she's put his sister through. Or cast her into a black hole, like how he usually solved his problems.

He fiddled with his cloak, twisting his gloved fingers into it. He was suddenly overcome with missing the way Flea's smooth skin felt under his fingertips, which was one of the only occasions he ever took his gloves off. "Ah, well, is there anything specific you'd like to ask? I can tell you if it gets into something that I am unable to answer," he compromised. She thought for a second, looking him over before smiling with bright eyes, like an idea suddenly struck her.

"Your earring, that red bead on your ear, it's very pretty, can you tell me how you got it?" She inquired, pointing at the wizard's exposed ear, right at Flea's earring that he had given to Magus. The wizard felt his heart clench. Schala's neat eyebrows drooped, her expression falling, as if she could read his pain. "Oh, my apologies, is that too personal?" She whispered, averting her eyes.

Magus shook his head, slowly, "No, it's alright, Princess Schala, this was given to me by someone very, very special. Before I came here to deliver the my knowledge of the prophecy to your mother, I was given this for good luck," he rasped. He coughed to hide the tremor in his voice. This felt strange, very strange, Magus was not familiar with emotion, he'd never heard his own voice shake before.

Schala didn't notice, that or she pretended not to. "That sounds lovely, does she have a name? If you can tell me that?" She pressed once more, her voice hesitant and soft. 

"He." Magus automatically corrected, the word flying out of his mouth before he could stop it. Flea hated being called a girl. "He, his name, hm," he wondered, then realized, Flea was thousands of years in the future. Schala could never know. "His name is Flea, and he's the most unpredictable person I've ever met, and, well, one of the most amazing. If he ever heard me say that, I'd be dead where I stood," he let out a dry chuckle, Flea wasn't much one for sentiment either.

The princess giggled, actually giggled, covering her mouth with her dainty hand. "That's so cute, prophet, it sounds like you very much love him," she admitted, raising her eyebrows at Magus.

The cloaked man might as well have choked on air once he heard her response. "I beg your pardon? L- love? W- we- we aren't there yet, definately not there yet," he sputtered, flabbergasted. He felt a warm flush crawl up his neck and burn at his ears. Schala giggled again, her petite body shaking with laughter. 

"Denial?" She hummed, twirling her finger in front if his face.

Magus huffed, "No, not denial, we simply aren't there yet." His cheeks felt hot, love? He didn't love anyone, what he felt for Flea was certainly caring affection, but was it love?

Schala smiled at him, "Of course, well, I'm sure you'll get there one day," she told him, standing up. "I'm also sure we don't have much time before mother needs us, I should show you around." Schala recommended, and Magus stood up as well, following her out of the room, watching as she closed the door with care.

Every room they passed looked familiar, each pattern in the floor, each and every bookshelf. Schala even showed him his guest quarters in the palace, this was his home. Not much time had gone by before the princess had returned to where she'd left him, telling him that the queen had requested their presence. And that was how each day had went from then on, Magus serving the queen with his 'prophecies', when in actuality they were just his memories from the past of things that hadn't occured yet. In his lone time he often wondered how the mage he cared so much for was doing.

Little did he know, Flea wasn't doing very well at all. The Magician was tired, and despite having been told he was to make all the final decisions, that didn't happen. Ozzie had wound up shoving the younger Mystic out of his seat of power and taking it all for himself. When Flea even attempted to add input on any plans or strategies, Ozzie would slowly freeze him until ice began to chip at his skin, and he couldn't move his mouth to speak. Flea had come to find that the large Mystic was more power hungry than he initially thought, and couldn't comprehend sharing the power with someone he thought was below him. He could've easily melted the ice by adjusting his body temperature accordingly and summoning fire to his fingertips, but he didn't wish to jumpstart any combat that would cause the army to start up a riot against him. They liked Ozzie more, terrible taste, really.

With each passing day, Magus had witnessed his mother force his sister to expel her energy for that horrendous machine. And every time, he had to stand by and pretend that he didn't very much care for the princess' well-being. Which was very painful, and difficult for him to do. He had warned Dalton and Queen Zeal of the trio that he had faced in his castle, he could sense them drawing near and would not risk his mission being disrupted again. While it sickened him to side with the two people he hated most, power hungry, wretched individuals, it was necessary for Schala's ultimate protection.

He often saw his younger self pacing around the palace, looking upset, Alfador wandering behind him and rubbing against his legs. The people of the palace knew of Lavos and Zeal's quest for eternal youth, but they didn't know the pain and horrible treatment their princess went through. If they did, they didn't seem to care, treacherous, lazy people. He was at the queen's throne with Dalton, waiting for Schala to come. She always took a while and Magus understood why, nobody would be in a hurry to expend their energy for a terrible cause. But shortly after she arrived, Magus began to feel his temples ache, he could sense the three that had fought against him, they were in the palace.

They were entering the room. 

"Your majesty! These are the evildoers I warned you about!" He shouted. Not again, they could not interrupt him again. Lavos had to be summoned, and Magus had to defeat it so that Schala may live in peace. The quiet boy with the bandana, the leader, had a fiery look in his eyes. Magus was impressed, he had a lot of determination, him and his comrades. Dalton released some sort of monster on them as they all escaped the throne room in a flash of light. Though, as he expected, they defeated it, so a second method had to be chosen.

Zeal had trapped them in a strong energy fueled contraption, moving them to a room where they were unable to escape. And the wizard knew that if they didn't find a way out, that they would slowly die.

That's what he thought would happen, until he saw Schala and young Janus sneak into the room where they were being held. He heard his younger self protest against letting them go, call them idiots, and Magus couldn't agree more. After all, he did say it.

"If they escape, you'll be in trouble!" Janus gave a shrill shout. Magus waited, he wouldn't approach them yet. No one questioned him standing in front of the room, he was respected among the palace as a truthful prophet. Many of the lazy people here said it was like he could tell the future. 

"I will be fine, little brother, you must trust me, they just might be able to rescue the gurus." Was all that Schala said, before turning off the machine with a shine of bright blue light. The boy along with the two girls fell gracelessly to the ground. "Are you alright?" She asked, checking them over for injuries. "Quickly, you must escape from the palace!" She told them urgently, telling them to rescue the Guru called Melchior, who was sent to the Mountain of Woe for opposing Queen Zeal.

This was when Magus had to step in. He couldn't allow this, if they succeeded, then everything would go wrong. Schala would be lost from him again, he couldn't allow that.

"Your meddling tires me," he said, more so to the three that were still crouching in the floor. "You'll just have to disappear." He hissed, they needed to stay out of this. It did not concern them.

Schala shook her head, "You musn't!" She begged, and Magus felt a sharp pang of guilt. Her face looked so hurt, and Magus knew it was because she cared for everyone very much, and always believed in good methods of solving problems, it was almost enough to have him think of different methods himself. His younger self rushed to Schala's aid as well, shouting at him to stop. Didn't they understand? Even himself, out of all people, but he understood all too well. He would follow his sister to the ends of the Earth, and would choose her side every time. 

He would choose her side every time, indeed. "Alright," he sighed, "I'll spare them." He had the three show him where they came from, and demanded they go back through the portal, and that Schala close it up after. When she protested, he told her that if she wished for them to live she would do it. If Queen Zeal found a way to track them, she certainly would, and she would kill them. He truly felt bad for contributing to his sister's stress, but he assured himself that this was all to save her. 

If Flea was here, he'd understand, if you have a cause that you are willing to die for, all means necessary are needed to complete it. He would understand, he would help Magus talk it through, and when he got too deep in thought, he would pour hot tea over his head. That was his way of helping. It was rather endearing, if Magus was to be truthful. 

The time that passed was truly boring, and his patience was growing thin with each day. As was his tolerance, Dalton was so obnoxious he wished to pummel him every time he saw his face. He continuously had to witness Schala be forced to use her magic for the Mammon Machine, as it was nearing completion, and the Ocean Palace was close to rising. Magus was to attend the christening of the Ocean Palace, as Zeal had trusted him enough after witnessing his every prediction come true, and after he'd supposedly gotten rid of the intruders. She had been slightly upset that they had escaped, but after Magus had assured her that they wouldn't even be back to the kingdom ever again, she had accepted it with a grimace. 

He knew that the trio would find some way to get back, though he hoped he could complete his goal before then. Destroying Lavos was all that mattered at this time. It seemed like quite a long time had passed, and Schala had left the palace a few times, but not for long seeing as Zeal constantly required her presence. His younger self followed her everywhere, and would give him aggression filled looks every time they crossed paths, his little face pinched in distaste. It was quite strange, to be disliked by yourself. Not that Magus was surprised much, it wasn't as if he didn't despise himself anyway. 

As he had thought, the trio had returned to the castle and attempted to stop the Mammon Machine with the knife that was made from the same stone as Schala's pendant. That alone couldn't stop the machine once it had reached full power, Schala had collapsed due to exhaustion and even the air seemed to shake with the rise of the Ocean Palace. Time seemed to pass so quickly, he thought he did all he could to prepare for the parasitic beast, but he knew that nobody could ever prepare enough. Not even him.

That redheaded fool and his friends all went up against Lavos, and were all knocked out in once hit from the large alien parasite. Foolish, Magus thought they were foolish and idiotic. They didn't know what Lavos was capable of, not at all. Running up to the beast, Magus shouted at it.

"Finally, you have met your match, Lavos!" He sharply yelled, throwing off his disguise and pulling out his scythe. What happened next was so beyond humilating, Magus was glad everyone around him was nearly unconscious so that they couldn't see the wave of energy knock him back.

The wizard slowly rose from his spot on the ground of spinning colors. Shaking off the shocks leftover from the energy blast, he walked forward towards it once more. To no avail, he was blasted to the ground once more, and faintly heard Zeal's mocking voice as she strode into the vicinity. She called him a false prophet, among other things, but it was all faint to him, faint and fuzzy. Everything that happened was a blur, and he hated being so weak in this moment. The redheaded fool stood up once more, dragging his battered body to Lavos, only to be turned to particles of ash in a harsh light. Schala had used the last of her pendants power to send them to safety, it was him and the redhead's two comrades, both girls were rendered nearly unconscious.

Making a quick escape, Magus made his way over to a place Schala had shown him once every so often when they were on the surface. The North Cape. Finally, it was a quiet place to think. Which was good, he had a lot to think about. Magus had lost track of how long he'd been in his original time period, but it had been a while. The first thought that entered his mind was his sweet sister. Schala, what would happen to her? Where was she? He came all this way to save her from being lost again, only for her to slip through his fingers. Had he just been a tad stronger, or smarter, he would've saved her. But he had others to blame too, like his mother, with her disgusting eyes and voice. And how she used his older sister for her own benefit, her daughter, someone she's supposed to love. Who did something like that? He despised her, he despised Dalton, he despised everyone in that damned kingdom. Except his sister, and now she was gone, again.

He also didn't know how he was supposed to get back to 600 AD. Maybe he wouldn't be able to uphold his promise to Flea simply because he was unable to. He grabbed for his amulet, something Schala had originally given him and was now all the more precious because of the addition. The thin lock of hair twisted around the chain, that and the earring Flea had given him may be all he would have left of the snarky Mystic. That menace had snuck into his heart, and stole the very depths of its core. He didn't seem like he intended on giving it back, either. Flea was stubborn like that. He just hoped the talented mage didn't hate him too much when he returned. If he did.

His mind inevitably went to the three individuals who caused his plan to fail in the first place. Well, did they really? They were all unable to engage in combat and Magus still lost against Lavos. So the wizard began to think there wasn't as much to blame them for as he originally thought. 

What snapped him out of his thought was the arrival of three familiar presences. When did they get back to three? Wasn't there just two a while back? Nevermind that, he revealed himself, only to be met with a shout of his name and weapons drawn. Looking out towards the distance, he sighed. "Behold, everything is at the bottom of the sea." He told them, gesturing with a hand. "Gone is the magical kingdom of Zeal, and all the dreams and ambitions of its people." He lowered his voice as he turned to them, "I once lived there... but I was a different person then."

The frog's eyes went wide with shock, as did the blonde girl's. The only one who looked as if she expected it was the pink haired girl. The frog looked at him with curiosity. "So, thou art... thou art that filthy urchin!" He shouted at Magus, to which the wizard resisted to pull an offended face. He was ten at the time, there was no need to insult him. Even if he was a bit of a brat.

He brushed it off, continuing to speak on his own terms instead of replying. "Ever since Lavos' time portal stranded me in the middle ages, I have waited to even the score. You interrupted me just as I had summoned Lavos to my castle." He hissed, trying to steady his temper but it was partially their fault they wound up in Queen Zeal's mess firsthand. He turned around once more, facing the sea where his home now lied. "How ironic that, having been drawn into yet another portal, I would end up back in this age. Being from the future, my knowledge of the past enabled me to convince the Queen that I was a mighty oracle." He continued, they didn't say anything, he wondered if it was out of respect or if they were just at a loss for words.

Magus' voice dropped a bit lower, quieter, as he suddenly throught of the fate that befell his sister. "But no history book could've prepared me for what happened here." He shook his head, "Unimaginable is the power of Lavos, anyone who dares to oppose it, meets certain doom. At this rate, you too, will meet a hideous fate." The wizard clenched a fist, and scoffed. "Just like that poor fool, Crono!" He shouted, and as far as he was concerned, it was true. 

The trio all looked deeply offended and slightly disgusted. Magus wasn't surprised, and he could tell the frog was going to shout at him again. "You dare to insult him?!" The amphibian warbled with a sharp voice, drawing his sword.

Magus let out a loud huff as his patience wore thin. "He's history! Play with fire and you get burned!" He shouted, scowling.

"Magus! Hold thy tongue," the frog snapped, glaring at him. The wizard sighed heavily, feeling for his scythe to make sure it was still there.

He took a deep breath, "You wish to fight me?" He asked them, he gave them a choice. They could fight him here, and potentially kill him, but he would give them this choice. They all looked at him with hurt and hatred, they had just lost a dear friend, it wouldn't do any of them any good if he were to push them into a fight they didn't want. They seemed to consider it though, looking at one another as if silently communicating. 

Magus was only able to tell their decision when the frog put his blade away. "Vanquishing thee will neither return Crono nor Cyrus." He said with a heavy sigh, Magus nodded, turning around to face the sea. As they began to walk away, he began to wonder how heavy their hearts were with grief, how desperate they were to bring their friend back. It kind of reminded him of himself with Schala. He tried so very hard to save her, but he failed, and that was on him, and he knew how it felt. So maybe, maybe he could help them on their quest to bring Crono back, and defeat Lavos once and for all.

"Wait." He called out, walking up to them as they were leaving. "I'll come with you." He told them, showing both of his hands as a sign of passiveness.

"Treachery!" The frog shouted at him, obviously still on edge. Both girls looked confused, exchanging looks of suspicion. 

Magus hummed, looking to the side for a second before pulling his eyes back to the three in front of him. "You know, there just might be a way to bring him back." He admitted to them, and resisted the urge to smirk at their shocked yet hopeful faces.

"Nonsense..." the frog whispered, but with the surprise in his voice he might as well have shouted it.

Magus looked at each of them separately, so they knew he was regarding all of them in this situation. "Gaspar, the Guru of Time, knows how to restore lost or misplaced time streams," was all he told them, seeing them nod with determined expressions.

The blonde girl looked up at him as he followed them away from the North Cape. "By the way, in case you didn't know our names, I'm Marle, well, my real name is Nadia but everyone calls me Marle. And that's Lucca, no secret name or anything, just Lucca." Lucca nodded, making what looked to be gun gestures with her fingers. Odd. Marle then turned to the frog, he wondered what they called him. "And this is Frog!" She finished.

Oh. How creative.

"Well, we know his name is Glenn, but we didn't know his name when we first met him so we just called him 'Frog' and it just kinda stuck." Lucca explained, Magus nodded in understanding. Lucca went on to explain how their flying...ship? Well, Lucca called it 'Epoch' could only seat three at any given time, so someone would have to head to the End of Time separately. When Magus asked why they needed to go there, Marle told him that there was an old man there they occasionally asked for help. She said he might be able to give them advice on finding Gaspar. Frog insisted it be him, saying he needed some time to think. Magus understood that, needing space, so he didn't question it. Marle and Lucca spoke to each other, occasionally asking Magus a few things out of politeness, but he was sure his replies weren't anything of interest. 

The jump to the End of Time was something he could count as a new experience, seeing as he knew of it but had never been there. It was dark, very dark, the only light in the area was what looked to be a glowing orb in a case atop a pole? Very odd. But it seemed convenient. Marle and Lucca went up to the old man by the pole, hopeful looks on their faces. 

The old man looked confused, "Hey, where's the healthy kid with the radical haircut?" He asked them, and upon taking their faces into account, he frowned. "Oh... this is terrible news, I wish I could lend a hand." He told them, his head low. Marle looked absolutely devastated that the old man had no advice for them.

Magus sighed, he seemed to be sighing quite a bit today. He did feel very tired, "Only the Guru of Time can help us now..." he murmured, looking to see Lucca placing a hand on Marle's shoulder. There was also a large robot and what looked to be a cavewoman standing beside them, Frog was present too. How he got there, Magus hadn't the slightest clue. He knew he had to hold his tongue and wait before asking if they could get back to 600 AD any time soon, since everyone was very tense in this moment.

The old man looked over to him, then grinned. "Hey, where have you been?" He asked, Magus raised an eyebrow, did he know this man? The old man seemed to analyze him for a bit before speaking again. "So that's your story, and _look_ at you now, you've become quite formidable!" He praised, adding to Magus' confusion and flustering him the slightest bit. If Flea heard that, he'd be laughing in his face.

"Heh.." Magus let out softly, sheepishly. This was far too embarrassing. Weren't they trying to get Crono back? Thankfully, the awkward moment hadn't lasted for long, and the old man had gotten back onto the topic. 

"The Guru of Time, eh? Heard of him, of course, but what do you want with him?" He asked, and he saw Marle's face light up the tiniest bit. She grasped onto hope very quickly, Magus discovered. 

Frog stepped up, "We've heard he might be the one to bring our Crono back." He stated, his voice sounded confident but Magus could tell he was nervous. Nervous that there would be no solution. 

The old man sighed, "To bring back lost loved ones, that's what everyone wants." He fumbled around for a bit before pulling out... an egg? "Here," he said, "take this with you." He told them, holding it out. The cavewoman spoke up next, eyeing the egg curiously.

"Egg! Ayla hungry, want eat!" She exclaimed, but the old man shook his head. He went on to explain about what he called a Chrono Trigger. How it could, in a sense, do whatever the user wanted so long as they really wanted it as much as they said they did. It required other things, but he told them to go where they received Epoch to learn more about it. Magus didn't know where that was, but he assumed they did. 

He finished with, "Don't forget that. As long as you keep Crono in your hearts, the day you are dreaming of shall arrive." He really knew what he was talking about, it was almost as if...

Oh. Oh my.

"You're... you're him, aren't you?" He whispered, crossing his arms.

Frog gasped after a second, "Thee art Gaspar, the Guru of Time?" Everyone seemed to be shocked, but then everything seemed to click into place for Magus. Who else could've known him? It seemed too obvious now. 

Gaspar nodded, "I guess, that is what they called me, ages ago..." he trailed off, leaving the team to their own devices to form a plan to bring Crono back. But he needed to get back to his castle first. He needed to tell someone, but who? He wasn't sure they trusted him yet, and he wouldn't be surprised if they didn't, but he needed to get back to 600 AD.

He turned to Marle, she seemed like the safest bet. "Excuse me, there is something quite urgent I need to get back at my castle. I know this is important to you, but if I must be able to help to the fullest, I need the proper equipment." Well, that was only half of the truth.

Marle managed a smile through what looked to be tears, "Alright, that's fine, there are places we need to stop at too, so I'm sure we can add that along the way," she told him, somehow managing to sound cheerful through how many emotions she was feeling. He looked over at the others, Lucca was clinging to the robot, he heard her call him 'Robo', and she was also fighting back tears. Frog looked devastated at losing another friend, and Magus wondered if this was what it was like for him when Cyrus died? There was time to think about that later. The only one who looked stable enough at the moment was Ayla, she had the determined look on her face like she was ready to punch Lavos right in the beak with her bare fists.

"Thank you," Magus told her, hoping the gratitude could lift her spirits. Not that he cared all that much, it was simply better for morale. And it seemed to work, she walked over to Lucca and tapped her on the shoulder. They quickly exchanged words before both of them walked back over to him.

"Alright, prince boy, one of our pitstops is your castle?" Lucca asked, having composed herself enough to speak clearly. He nodded, but had a moment of hesitation. Prince boy? Odd. Lucca turned to the rest of the group, "We'll be back in a bit, then head to Robo's place to figure out what to do with this egg, for right now I guess you can train a bit until we get back." She told them, then her gaze softened and she smiled at the friends that she had to leave momentarily. "Please, take care," she muttered to them, heading to the Epoch, Marle followed her after waving to everyone else.

"You can land this at the front of the place, right?" He asked Lucca, and she smirked back at him.

"Can birds fly? This baby got an upgrade," she stated proudly. But why would she ask him if birds could fly? That answer was obvious, though he decided not to question her.

"Are we going to run into your generals there?" Marle inquired, her question had wary undertones, as if she was still wondering just how much she could trust him. It was understandable. Magus wanted to say 'hopefully', he did. He wanted to see Flea more than anything else, to talk to him, to explain. He wanted to see how his plan had gone, if Flea was truly leading the Mystics like he had envisioned. A beautiful nightmare on the battlefield. He wanted to see that, but wasn't sure if he would get just what he wanted.

"I don't know," he responded after some time. It was vague, and he was surprised when none of them asked any further. It seemed as if the second he blinked he could smell the thick air of the time period of 600 AD, even through the glass. Lucca flew around for a bit, trying to remember the direction of his castle before he pointed to its general destination.

Lucca adjusted her glasses, "So we're here to pick up your stuff? Like, armor and all that?" She asked him, and Magus nodded. It was very cramped in the Epoch, he noticed, possibly from where he was so tall. For a moment, Lucca looked confused. "Are you sure that's your castle?" Oh. Of course. His castle was destroyed. And floating above the remains was the Black Omen.

"That's not good, head to that fort, I need to know what's going on." This was not what he expected, opening that portal wouldn't have destroyed his castle alone, so what had? They landed, and very cautiously walked into the large fort. They were met by Ozzie, surprisingly. He shouted at Magus, called him a traitor, said that he wasn't their king, and asked why he deserted them before running off. Magus didn't like the look of this at all.

Marle turned to him, her neat eyebrows furrowed. "He thinks you deserted them? It wasn't like you had a choice," she offered, and Magus nodded.

"Yes, but, Mystics are very sensitive creatures, and quick to jump to conclusions," he muttered back to her, taking the lead and walking up the steps. Ozzie was there, waiting, looking not happy in the slightest. But where was Flea?

"You pesky, low down, good for nothings! I'll have you begging for mercy," he shouted at them. Lucca settled her fingers on her gun, while Marle grasped at her crossbow. Then, Ozzie raised a hand and called out, "Flea!"

Oh. Well wasn't today just full of surprises.

Flea appeared in a quick flash of light, and the first thing Magus noticed was how terribly tired he looked. There were deep purple bags beneath his eyes, his usual clean and polished nails were now chipped and rough, and his posture that he held while he babbled some line seemed forced. "I'm counting on you, Flea." Was all Ozzie said before leaving the room. Flea's eyes locked onto him, sparking with a color he didn't recognize on him. Purple. Purple, with small bits of both red and blue beside them.

"Why, if it isn't Sir Magus. The man who lies, lies, and lies. Who can't seem to keep one simple promise, hm?" Flea hissed, his face looking more hurt than angry. Marle and Lucca both gave Magus looks of confusion, but he didn't take his eyes off of the Mystic in front of him. Hearing Flea call him by something other than his true name only intensified the guilt.

He sighed, "Flea, you need to understand, I never wanted to hurt you," he told him, it was the truth after all. It was hard to look at Flea in the eyes, to see the anger and hurt in them, he noticed that the mage still wore the earring he gave him, and glanced over to see a streak of silvery blue in his hair. 

The Mystic smirked, it hurt to see how unhinged it looked. His pale pink skin looked waxy, almost sickly. "You didn't want to hurt me? Then you shouldn't have _lied_ to me! And siding with the enemy? I can't believe a word you say! You used us Mystics, _my_ race, for your own benefit!" He shrilled, his eyes swirling with deep blue and red sparks, Magus noticed them blending to the purple ones.

"Flea..." he breathed, glancing at Marle and Lucca, who both had their weapons drawn but both of their faces had an expression that displayed how lost they were on the situation. 

The mage's face was pulled in an expression that look so deranged and hurt, it broke Magus' heart. "You _betrayed_ and _used_ me! I thought you cared about me!" And suddenly, time seemed to freeze and Magus was struck with thoughts of his mother. And how she used his sister. She was supposed to care about her. 

Like mother, like son.

Flea's fingertips began to crackle with magic energy, and he raised his hands as if he was about to perform a spell. "Magus!" Lucca shrieked, raising her gun towards Flea.

Magus shook his head, he wouldn't intentionally hurt him, not even if his life depended on it. "Wait." He ordered, quickly summoning dark energy to his hands and surging forward, cancelling out Flea's spell and pausing him in place. And for a moment, the mage looked scared. The wizard turned to his two comrades, "Please, no matter the circumstances, do not strike him." He begged of them, and Marle looked slightly concerned, but lowered her bow. Lucca looked a bit more suspicious than concerned, but she also gently lowered her weapon.

Flea took one look at Lucca and gave a dry chuckle. "I remember you," he rasped. "You shot me," and Lucca lowered her eyes to the ground, glaring at it.

"Flea, please, I don't know what happened here, but I promise you, I will explain everything on my part if you agree not to harm us and come with me," he proposed, watching Flea's expression fall to one of what some would describe as shattered.

He shook his head, well, as much as he could being frozen in place by magic. "You... are in no place to make promises." He sniffed, "I've seen an empire fall and another rise in its place, I've lived every day feeling like I've let you down, and you have the audacity to try and promise something else to me?" He whimpered, the red sparks fading from his eyes, being replaced solely by intense blue ones.

The ex-fiendlord took a few steps toward Flea, and raised a gentle hand to his cheek. Flea flinched. "You didn't let me down, I admire you so greatly, your strength, I..." he trailed off, biting down on the inside of his cheek. "I love you," he breathed, "so, please, come with me." Upon hearing the three words both of them were so afraid to say, since love was such an unfamiliar territory, Flea felt all the need to fight fade away.

Magus sensed his resistance let up, and slowly released him from the spell. The Mystic fell forward, burying his face into his chestplate, sobbing against the leather. "I thought- I thought I'd never see you again," he wailed, "I thought I'd lost you forever," and Magus simply wrapped his arms around Flea, stroking over his shoulderblades and pressing a kiss to the top of his head.

"I'm so glad you understand, I'm so very glad, I need you to get out of here, now, find a place in Medina to stay for a short time, and wait for me, I will be right behind you, and I swear, I'll explain everything." He whispered, gently pulling Flea back to look into his eyes. The Magician nodded, showing he understood, and reached up on his toes to press a kiss to Magus' lips. He sniffed, wiped his eyes, and pulled his lips in a watery smile.

"Alright," he said simply, "but if you don't hold up your promise again, I'll have to kill you," he hummed, and Magus couldn't tell if he was joking or not.. He hoped he was. 

"Be careful," was all he said, watching the mage disappear in a flash of light. 

That was a ridiculous thing to say. Oh well. He did say the three words his sister would say to him all that time ago. However, he felt it was different this time. The usage of the word 'love' was strange.

He could hear Marle's footsteps as she walked up to him. "Was she... er, he? Was that..." she didn't seem to know just what to say.

Luckily, Lucca was able to help her out. "Are you guys, like, romantically involved?" She asked him. Great. This was what he wanted to avoid. Talking about his intimate relations. 

"You could say that, come on, I'm sure there are more things to take care of up ahead." He cut the topic off quickly, not wanting the two young girls meddling or butting into his personal life. In the next room, they found Ozzie again who seemed shocked that they had gotten through, and more shocked at the fact that Flea didn't report anything to him. He summoned Slash, who appeared looking, disappointed, more than anything. He waited to speak until after Ozzie left.

"I didn't want to believe you left us, you know, I looked up to you. I saw what he went through," he must be talking about Flea, "I knew, eventually, those who are hungry for power will inevitably get it. No matter who or what stands in their way." That reminded him of Zeal, much to his lack of surprise.

Lucca drew her gun up, "Do we have to fight you, or what?" She snapped, having analyzed their last encounter and now choosing it to offer other options. Smart. Slash went to draw his sword, then paused. 

"The most honorable thing for me to do here, is turn you down, I did not wish to fight, now, if you'll excuse me." He gave Magus one last betrayed look, "I hope you know what you did." He hissed, then disappeared out of the room.

Marle frowned, "This is odd, why did he just retreat?" She asked, wary now.

Pressing his fingers to his temples, Magus shook his head. "Because, he didn't see a point in fighting anymore. To Slash, his honor as a swordsman is everything, if he doesn't have that, he has nothing. It won't do us any good to chase him down. Let's just get what we came here for and leave." He huffed, trying to shake Slash's words from his head. 

They had to avoid obstacles set up by Ozzie, who was surprised and confused at where the other two generals had gone. He kept calling for them but neither of them showed up. In a hidden room, all of his equipment was tucked away in small chests. He nodded to his companions, they all knew they couldn't just leave this unfinished. Upon entering the final room, they saw that Ozzie had nowhere to run, but, as per usual, the large Mystic avoided any actual fighting, and encased himself in a barrier of ice.

Puzzled, and looking around for clues, Marle held her crossbow up. "What are we supposed to do now?" She asked, as the ice seemed impenetrable. 

Magus pointed to three switches on the wall, "One of those must be it," he stated simply. Lucca aimed, and shot the one farthest left. A hole opened in the floor next to them. "Oh. Well, that didn't work like I hoped," he grumbled. He thought to try the next one, when a small cat ran up and jumped on the lever farthest right, causing a hole to open up beneath Ozzie and making him fall. The cat simply ran off after that. Very strange.

"That was, quite odd, we're seeing cats everywhere we go," Marle noted, beginning to turn around so they could leave. Magus was struck with thoughts of his beloved cat, Alfador, soon they would have to go back to 12,000 BC so he could check on him. They exited, and Magus turned to both of them with his final thoughts. 

"Thank you very much, for assisting me here today, I know there wasn't as much fighting as we anticipated, but it's good to be prepared. Now, I have one last favor to ask of you." He told them, reaching to press his fingers against his amulet.

Lucca and Marle both shared a nod, "Of course, what is it?" The princess inquired.

"I need to go back to Medina for some time, I need to sort things with Flea, and I'm sure there are other things you need to do before we take the fight to Lavos. So please, come for me when you require my assistance, for I will be here." He explained simply, the two girls shared grins, then nodded at him.

Lucca leaned against the Epoch, "Right, that works, you take care of your relationship problems, we can handle other things ourselves for a bit. But, if we just stop in randomly, that probably means we need you to come with us." She hummed, getting into the machine.

Marle looked at him with kind eyes, "Good luck, and take care!" She called to him, before getting in beside Lucca.

"Likewise," he muttered, watching them rise off the ground, then blink out of the sky just like that. They weren't so bad after all. Upon returning to Medina, it took him a while to find Flea, but after asking multiple other Mystics if they had saw him, they ended up pointing him in the direction he needed to go in. Sitting in a small inn, there he was. The mage had his hair down, a change of style he rarely saw, as he sometimes even slept with his hair in a plait. But the unmistakable pink color that, in certain lightings, seemed to border on deep magenta, was impossible to miss.

He was nursing a cup of warm tea leaves, it was lighter in color than the usual appearance of tea, so Magus quickly assumed Flea had added milk or such to it. That was very like him. He took a seat beside the Magician, waiting for him to speak first, not wishing to rush him. He deserved a bit of time to think too, after all.

"Janus," he finally spoke after some time. Magus couldn't stop the twitch of his lips upon hearing that. "I know, you need to explain, but there is a lot I need to tell you about too, first and foremost, I'm sorry I didn't take up leadership after you left," he spoke under his breath. Magus had to pay extra attention to hear him. 

Shaking his head, Magus set a hand on Flea's shoulder. "I won't blame you for that, I knew it was a lot whenever I asked that of you, you aren't at fault nor did you let me down." This seemed to soothe Flea, as he let out a breath he was holding as he anticipated the answer. "There is a threat among us, one more deadly than anything you can imagine, and both myself, and our former enemies seek to destroy it. They showed me mercy, and once you know their motives, they aren't all that bad."

Flea managed a smirk, "Not all that bad? Janus, they stabbed me, shot at me, rendered me useless for a matter of days." He hissed, but held his tongue as he waited for Magus to explain further.

"Only because they were after me, they thought I wished to summon this threat for myself, to use its power, when I truly wanted to destroy it. I wanted to destroy it to ultimately save my sister," he continued, watching Flea's eyes soften. He knew that the mage didn't know too much about Schala, but whenever Magus did bring her up, he spoke of her fondly, and Flea understood how important she was to Magus. "They seek to destroy it to save the future, so I've decided to put our differences aside and assist them with this goal."

Flea nodded as he seemed to process the information, "I see." Was all he said, and the wizard could tell he was thinking. After a few moments of silence, he spoke again, though this time on a different topic. "Leading was fine at first, I was respected, but Ozzie couldn't handle someone else having the reins on the power. So, simply put, I was overthrown," he muttered dryly. Taking a sip of his tea, he had a look of disappointment on his face. "He was able to convince everyone that you betrayed us, and as much as I didn't want to believe it, it didn't sound so unimaginable after some time. But you're here now, yes? So, in a way, you held up your end of the deal." He concluded.

Magus frowned, Flea's attitude was lacking its usual color. He wasn't snarky or bubbly, though the wizard had deduced it was from his utter exhaustion. "Well, as you can probably tell, I need to finish helping them, then I want to search for my sister, but I'm here now, and I'll never abandon you. I will always come back," he swore, turning a bit so he could look Flea in the eyes. The pink sparks betrayed any words he would say. Flea was genuinely glad to see him, no matter what he told himself or others.

He sighed, "I guess it can't be helped, but I understand. Why don't we go somewhere a bit more, out of the public eye, hm?" The mage proposed, standing up and setting his cup down. Magus nodded, following him out of the inn. "I found a space, a small residence that a few Mystics recently moved out of, I don't wish to fight anymore, and without Ozzie to lead these Mystics with an iron fist, I would like to call this place ours as the war begins to die down." He led the way to the place he spoke of. It was small, but a lot less cold than his castle. 

"It's very nice, Flea, leave it up to you to find a way to get what you need," he praised. He felt like Flea deserved it after all that had happened. Flea even managed a smile, it was endearing.

"Of course, you did call me clever once or twice, didn't you?" He asked, though it was more rhetorical than anything. Of course Magus had called him clever, it was true on many levels as a matter of fact. "I don't have my dresses anymore, I left them at the fort, but I don't wish to go back there. Though, I presume I can just make more! Something to tide me over while you're away, doing... oh, what was it again?" Flea pretended to forget, simply for his own amusement. 

"Stopping Lavos?" Magus offered, taking a seat in one of the chairs.

"Saving the world! Doing good deeds, oh, how you've changed. Disgusting, yet, attractive, I must admit." He teased, then gave a rather warm smile. "I saved your letter, I carried it with me everywhere, don't let that get to your head though," he added, along with a wink.

Magus smirked at him, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but, it is good to see you back to your usual, annoying self." He admitted, pulling Flea close to him, and the Mystic simply took that opportunity to seat himself in the wizard's lap.

"What am I, if not annoying?" He cooed, a grin playing on his lips. Magus simply rolled his eyes at him, but both of them knew it was an affectionate gesture.

"Hm, a menace, the bane of my existence, but also, a very beautiful and intelligent being that I am glad to have." He muttered affectionately. 

"Gross, you're getting even more sentimental, too much time with the humans." Flea chirped jokingly, tossing his hair over one shoulder. They spent the rest of the day speaking of what they both had gone through in the absence of each other, Flea speaking of Ozzie's tyranny but leaving out the pain of being frozen nearly every day, and Magus speaking of his terrible mother for the first time but leaving out Schala's treatment. Both of those could come later when they were ready to speak about them. 

By nightfall, they were lucky to find a bed upstairs, though moreso lucky that the place even had an upstairs in the first place. They had spent that night curled in each other's arms, making use of the small space, and it brought much comfort after being apart for so long.

Each day was spent re-familiarizing themselves with each other's bodies, lingering touches, soft sounds. They'd been apart for so long, Magus had almost forgotten how Flea's bare skin felt beneath his fingers. It was different without Flea's large and quite ethereal bed, but they made do with the much smaller one they had. It was also different in the ways that Flea's body had changed, his palms had small calluses, and he had gained a bit more muscle mass than when Magus had last saw him. Though, as far as the wizard was concerned, such changes just made him even more beautiful. 

"Janus," the mage whispered one night, fingers curled softly over Magus' bicep. 

"Hm... yes?" The ex-fiendlord groaned, having been on the brink of sleep.

Flea hesitated, "Did you mean it, when you said you..." he paused, "loved... me?" Nobody on the planet would be able to tell, but this was the only thing Flea would ever stammer or get flustered over. Something he was uncertain of. Magus was unsure if Flea had ever experienced love before, as every being that approached him in such a way only regarded him with lust.

Magus pressed a kiss to his forehead, "Yes, I did," he yawned, pulling him a bit closer. "Would you ever doubt my feelings for you?"

Shaking his head, Flea allowed a smile to cross his lips, pink sparks beginning to swirl in his eyes. "No, I wouldn't. It's very, very hard for me to say this but I... I..." he began to trail off, and Magus came to the conclusion that he had never said these words to someone before.

"It's alright, take your time," he soothed, combing his fingers through the Magician's hair.

After a few deep breaths, Flea looked up at him with wet eyes and a soft smile. "I love... I love you too," he finally managed, and Magus could feel his intense heartbeat as he pressed Flea's body against his.

Seeing such a smile, Magus couldn't suppress his own, "That's very good," he whispered, genuine and gentle. "Now, why don't we try to sleep, hm?" He proposed, kissing the mage one last time before closing his eyes. Nodding, Flea didn't say anything else as he wrapped his limbs around Magus and settled off to sleep.

It was only a week at the most when he looked outside to see Marle and Lucca landing the Epoch outside of where Flea and Magus were staying. Lucca opened the thick glass covering overhead, then hopped out. Flea looked a mix of agitated at his morning being interrupted, and confused as to why they were there.

"Get in, loser! We're going to save the future!" She shouted at Magus, and Marle giggled as she followed her out.

Turning to Flea, Magus sighed, "I'm assuming they need me now, so, I have to leave for a little bit, but I promise-"

"I got it, you just can't sit still, huh? C'mere, let me braid your hair, it'll help keep it out of your face while you fight." Flea responded with grace, smirking up at him.

Magus shook his head, "I don't do plaits," he huffed, but Flea wasn't deterred so easily.

"Well, you do now." He insisted, dragging Magus over to a chair and pressing his shoulders until he sat down.

"Persistent witch," the wizard grumbled affectionately. Flea giggled, high in his throat, as he began to comb through Magus' hair and braid it. He could hear Lucca shouting outside, but she would just have to hold on for a bit. The braid ended up being low, but tight enough that it wouldn't come loose. Sealing the end with a small clasp, Flea turned to him with a proud smile.

"Be careful, you reckless fool," he jabbed, pulling him down for a deep kiss. Magus chuckled, smirking when he pulled away.

"Well, who would you annoy if I wasn't around?" He taunted in good nature. "I promise, I will return to you, it was hard enough being away from you all that time." He affirmed, pressing one last kiss to Flea's forehead before he left. 

Lucca turned to him with a wide smirk, "Serving looks today, I see," she commented, pointing to his braid. He looked at her confused, he didn't understand her speak at all. He got into the Epoch with them, looking out the glass to see Flea through the small window, and he let one last smile cross his lips before dragging his eyes away.

And he knew when he came back Flea would be there, waiting. Because he'd always wait for him. Always. And Magus would always return. Always.

**Author's Note:**

> Hooray hooray it all ended happily, isnt that great? Please tell me!! I worked uber hard on this so comments and kudos give me life, idk if this will be the last CT work i publish, but its the last one for this series, i do hope you enjoyed!!


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